Strictly Business: Charging for Estimates

I hear a lot of contractors these days
talking about charging for services
that we used to give away without a
second thought — services like estimating
and design. This trend is
healthy, but some of the talk is shortsighted
when it obscures more profitable
goals. Remember that the
estimate is one small step of many in
the whole construction process. In my
experience, you will make more money
selling construction than you will ever
make selling estimates. So if you view
charging for an estimate as a victory in
and of itself, I think you're shortchanging
yourself.
Selling Estimates
Do this exercise: Calculate the gross
profit you need in a year, then divide
by the number of sales